Which tarot deck is for me?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 01 Mar 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

skipper	01 Mar 2005
I'm sorry if this doesnt belong in this forum, I picked one I thought it would sorta fit in to. I want to buy another Tarot deck, but theres so many, I don't know where to start. The only one I have right now is the Titania's Fortune Cards. I know I sound stupid saying this, but people talk about the 2 of cups and stuff, and thats the kind of deck I've always seen myself having, but I dont know what it is. Im sorry I made this sound so stupid, but im genuinly curious. Thanks!!

Milfoil	01 Mar 2005
Don't ever worry about asking 'odd' questions! This site has a wealth of images and reviews and there are decks to suit everyone. Personally, a deck has to 'speak' to me, not literally of course, but when I see the imagery, the size and quality of the cards etc I will either connect with it or I won't! If you are looking for a very traditional deck, you could try a Marseilles version, The Ryder Waite is always popular and the images help you to visualise the cards meanings. For traditional imagery on a RW deck - the Golden Tarot is a beautiful deck. Really it largely depends on what you find attractive and how the cards speak to you. Have a good look around all the decks you can find and go for the one that you are most comfortable with.

skipper	01 Mar 2005
Thanks! I think I know what you mean about having decks speak to me; Sometimes I like the pictures and design, other times it doesnt make any sense. Ill look around and check out the decks you mentioned along with some others.

Little Baron	01 Mar 2005
Hi Skipper Thought I would reply to this thread, as buying your first proper deck is such a great experience. Welcome to the forum. I admit that I have never seen 'Titania's fortune cards' before, but just went and had a little look so I could reply to your question better. These cards are not a traditional tarot deck; they are an oracle, which doesn't have the same guidelines as tarot - 78 cards, the four suits with four courts that links most tarots together. I am sure, however, they are useful for divination and have probably been good at helping you open up your intuition. There are many many tarot packs. As already mentioned, one of the earliest 'kind ' of decks is the 'Marseille'. This contains the twenty two trump/major cards (such as 'The Hanged Man' and 'The Empress' artchetypes) you may recognise. It also has four suits - Cups, Swords, Batons and Coins. These minor suits are not illustrated with pictorial scenes. For example, the 'Two of Cups' has exactly that on the card - however, floral arrangements, colours and design are included to arouse your intuition and enforce meaning. The Marseilles are very beautiful in their simplicity. If you are looking for cards that have pictorial minor cards, two other later traditions may suit. The 'Rider Waite' has illustrations on all cards, which make interpretation a little easier when beginning. The 'Thoth' lies somewhere inbetween the Rider Waite and Marseilles - I suppose you could say that the minor cards are semi-illustrated. With all of the three variants, many cards have been created over the years that are inspired by the original formats; clones. Have a look at the three different kinds and see, as recommended, which kind speaks to you. I, personally, have all three kinds. I read a lot with the Marseille, using numerology and suit/element when reading the minors - I use the 'Hadar' and 'Ancient Tarot of Marseilles'. I am also, at the moment, studying a Rider Waite clone - The 'Morgan Greer'. It is richer in colouring than the 'Original Rider Waite' and has edited scenes somewhat to fit with it's designers ideas and intentions. This deck also has no borders, which is good if you find borders distracting. I also have the 'Thoth'; it is a relatively dark deck and I read with it seldomly. This deck has 'keywords' on it (also a distraction for some) and is packed with symbolism to unravel, put there by its creator, Crowley. If you are into a lot of research into symbols, maybe this kind of deck would suit. Having said that, there is a lot of symbols to find and unravel in all three kinds of decks. I hope this has helped a little and look forward to hearing what you choose. Don't be affraid to ask more questions. If you want to pm me about anything, feel free. Regards LB

Fulgour	01 Mar 2005
Hi skipper :) There may still be an excellent Grimaud Marseille (French titles) up for sale here ~ I can check if the offers still open.:)

skipper	01 Mar 2005
Hey guys and thanks for the warm welcome! It's great to know I'm in a place where I can ask odd questions and not be looked down upon! LB, I like the way the marseille deck sounds, and the Rider Waite sounds interesting too. Ill look into all of those, and the Thoth too. Yes I like the Titania for what it is, but I want something more, it just doesnt feel as real or "authentic" as what I want. I think symbolism allows for deeper interpretation, I dont know why, I just feel that way. but really, all those decks sounds pretty good, and Ill look into them. Fulgour, sure, let me know if offers are still open, but I need to figure out my price range for right now too hehe. But yes, that does sound nice... Thanks again everyone for your tips! I'll let you know when I get more odd questions; I'll probably have some soon!

Stregaverde	01 Mar 2005
Ah, Grasshopper! :D Do a serious surfing through the deck selections on AT (look at the upper right-hand corner) and see what you like. Most books are written with the RIder-Waite symbolism in mind, so I personally recommend a RW-style deck for your first official Tarot deck, but that's me. Others love the Marseilles. I'm surrounded by that kind of imagery her in Italy, and it usually gives me a rash--I want my illustrated minors!--so to each his own. Do some searches on your thread title and other similar titles--there are a number of threads on this subject, and all of them offer tremendous wisdom. Also check out the Tarot Book and Media forum, because you'll need some book help, probably--almost everyone does--and I personally recommend "Tarot for Yourself" by Mary Greer and "It's All In The Cards" by John Mangiapane (I love that name, means "eat bread" in Italian) as first books. Both can be found on this site and bought through the Amazon links, if you want to donate back to the site. Welcome to AT! Tarot is a wonderful thing, and highly addictive. I'm moving into oracle decks myself, and many people here use both. There is an Oracle Deck forum, even.

skipper	01 Mar 2005
Stregaverde- Thanks for your deck tips as well! Ill be looking into RW and Marseille and comparing I think... They both sound good from what I've heard so far. But yes, I'll do some searches and check out the literature on tarot, and maybe ill wind up buying stuff from this site =D Quick question to add on: Whats the difference between Tarot and Oracle decks? Sorry if its a stupid question, i should probably just search the forums for that answer lol.....

Little Baron	01 Mar 2005
A tarot deck has it's own structure, regardless of whether it is from the Marseille, Thoth or RWS tradition. All Tarot decks have 78 cards. They have 22 major cards. They have 56 minor cards, which are split into four suits - not unlike modern playing cards. In the tarot, the suits stand for the elements water (cups), air (swords), fire (batons/wands) and earth (Coins/pentacles). Some tarot authors change these around to suit their own decks. Each suit has four court cards in each - commonly, King, Queen, Knight and Page - for example, 'King of Cups'. Oracle decks are less structured and do not necessarily have to have a certain amount of cards. Even though some have 'set meanings', the pictures within them are left up to you to interpret with your imagination and intuition. You can pretty much make your own up with a lot of oracles, whereas with the tarot, there are meanings asigned, through tradition/numerology/elements etc that have been in place for hundreds of years. Of course, not all oracles are the same, but I am just explaining general differences. They are very good for unlocking your intuition and getting your subconscious working on the images. For example, I have Brian Froud's 'Faeries Oracle' - a cllection of his paintings that have been asigned names such as 'Himself' and 'The Dark Lady'. These names are exclusive to this deck. Within the accompanying book, the writer advises you to find out what the images mean to you; you need not even consult the book if you do not want to. Of course, after working with the tarot for some time, you will also project your own layers onto the tarot cards through experience, but unlike oracles, researching and learning the original meanings can be very rewarding and beneficial when used alongside intuition. Hope that helps LB

HudsonGray	01 Mar 2005
If you go to the 'decks' section on the top right, as someone suggested, and choose 'all' it'll take you about 3 hours to click through every one of the decks there, BUT you'll have a really good idea of the style & artwork out there on decks available to the public as well as the reviews for each deck, and it's rating as 'readable' with the 5 star method. If you want to see the entire deck on some of them, go to the board called "Tarot Decks" and you'll see a posting called Sites That Show The Whole Deck, many of them are posted there.

Emily	02 Mar 2005
Hi Skipper, If you like the idea of a Marseilles type deck but not the woodcut style then there are the Italian Soprafino decks - Lo Scarabeo does two of them - the Ancient Italian and the Classic tarot. Both can be read in the same way as the Marseille. :) I like the RWS symbolism so tend to go for clone decks after studying with the Rider Waite deck - the Universal Waite, Radiant Rider are both re-coloured versions of the RWS. Then you have the clone decks like the Morgan Greer (my favourite), Universal Tarot (LS), Russian Tarot of St Petersburg, Hanson Roberts, Diamond Tarot - many more different clone decks of the RWS, too many to list. But the main thing is actually seeing the deck that appeals to you with its style of artwork, one that you know you would be able to work with. :)

Fulgour	02 Mar 2005
skipper wrote: Fulgour, sure, let me know if offers are still open, but I need to figure out my price range for right now too hehe. But yes, that does sound nice... See the thread "Lots of decks for trade" by Waterdancer http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=36389 It's the real deal, good colour, and many people's favourite. a tentative bid will definitely get Waterdancer's attention.

Elektra	02 Mar 2005
Go through all of the deck scans on AT and see which ones really appeal to you. It'll hit you on a gut level, like seeing a person you're really attracted to and immediately want to get to know better. I was mildly interested in tarot for years but had never seen a deck that I liked. Then a few months ago I saw scans of the Gilded Tarot. Wham! Straight to the gut. I bought it immediately and love it. And now I'm finding more decks that I like :).

Little Baron	02 Mar 2005
Of course, just to add, that with time, your views around tarot will probably change - mine have. Whatever deck you end up with, the more you learn, and the more decks you see, your ideas may possibly change. You may get to a point when you can go as far as you can with a deck and want to try something else; you may connect with the same one forever - some people do. There has been some great suggestions so far and I think that the magority would be a great pack to get you started - it's just down to finding a style that sits well with you; that you feel comfortable with. I keep returning to this thread as I am very interested to see which you finally choose to begin the journey with; also, don't rush it; use this time to really delve about and see what there is on the market. Regards LB

skipper	02 Mar 2005
Thanks! I've done that, and am slowly going through em lol......

Majecot	02 Mar 2005
skipper you could be surfing through the Aeclectic deck list for days and day and days...( I know I have ;) ) Llewellyn still having a 5 dollar sale then you could get a variety of decks that way. Good luck on your search.

skipper	02 Mar 2005
thanks ill check that out!

The Which tarot deck is for me? thread was originally posted on 01 Mar 2005 in the Tarot Decks board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Tarot Decks, or read more archived threads.